Method and apparatus for determining the presence of a device for executing operations

ABSTRACT

An apparatus, method, and computer program product are described that can detect the presence of a tangible object without using computer vision. The apparatus receives a signal from a device proximate the apparatus, where the signal includes at least one of a proximity component and an orientation component, and also receives a touch input from the associated display. The apparatus then determines whether there is an association between the signal and the touch input based on the proximity component and/or the orientation component. If the signal and the touch input are associated, it is an indication that the device is disposed on the display, operations may be executed, such as to facilitate interaction between the apparatus and the device. As a result, any object capable of providing a signal having a proximity component or an orientation component can be detected (e.g., without the use of cameras or fiducial markers).

TECHNOLOGICAL FIELD

Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to determining thepresence of a device proximate an apparatus with a touch screen displayfor executing operations, such as allowing interaction between thedevice and the apparatus via the display. In particular, embodiments ofthe present invention relate to an apparatus and method for detectingthe device based on an association between a signal received from thedevice and a touch input received at the display, rather than throughcomputer vision techniques.

BACKGROUND

As digital information becomes more prevalent in society, the need toaccess and share such information is constantly growing. Devices forcapturing, creating, manipulating, and/or storing such informationabound, from digital cameras to cellular phones to laptop computers andother personal mobile devices.

In addition to being able to access information from such devices, usersalso desire to share information between devices. For example, a usermay want to display pictures taken using a digital camera on a portabledevice with a larger display to make the images easier to see andmanipulate. Similarly, a user may wish to view a movie downloaded on theuser's cellular phone on a mobile device with a larger display.

Accordingly, it may be desirable to provide an improved mechanism fordetecting and establishing a connection with a device for the purpose ofreceiving and interacting with data from the device.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

Accordingly, embodiments of an apparatus, method, and computer programproduct are described that can detect the presence of a device withoutusing computer vision, but rather by determining whether a signalreceived from the device and a touch input received at a display areassociated. In particular, embodiments of an apparatus for determiningthe presence of a device for executing operations may include at leastone processor and at least one memory including computer program code.The at least one memory and the computer program code may be configuredto, with the processor, cause the apparatus to receive a signal from adevice proximate the apparatus and to receive a touch input from adisplay associated with the apparatus. The signal may include at leastone of a proximity component or an orientation component. Adetermination may then be made as to whether there is an associationbetween the signal and the touch input based on at least one of theproximity component or the orientation component, wherein theassociation is indicative of the device being disposed on the display.An operation may then be executed based on the determination that thesignal and the touch input are associated.

In some cases, the signal received from the device may be an RF signal.The memory and computer program code may be configured to, with theprocessor, cause the apparatus to transmit an inquiry signal, and thesignal received from the device may be transmitted by the device inresponse to the inquiry signal. The inquiry signal may be transmitted inresponse to the receipt of the touch input. In other cases, the touchinput may be received in response to the receipt of the signal from thedevice.

The touch input may comprise detection of a force applied to thedisplay. Additionally or alternatively, the touch input may compriseinformation received from a capacitive or resistive touch sensorassociated with the display. In some instances, the signal received fromthe device may include an identity component, and the memory andcomputer program code may be configured to, with the processor, causethe apparatus to exchange data with the device at least partly based onthe identity component.

The memory and computer program code may further be configured to, withthe processor, cause the apparatus to determine a relative orientationof the display with respect to a known magnetic field. The orientationcomponent may comprise an indication of a relative orientation of thedevice with respect to the known magnetic field, and the memory andcomputer program code may be configured to, with the processor, causethe apparatus to determine an orientation of the device with respect tothe display based on a comparison of the relative orientation of thedisplay with the relative orientation of the device.

In other embodiments, a method and a computer program product areprovided for determining the presence of a device for executingoperations by receiving a signal from a device proximate an apparatusand receiving a touch input from a display associated with theapparatus. The signal may include at least one of a proximity componentor an orientation component. A determination may be made, via aprocessor, that there is an association between the signal and the touchinput based on at least one of the proximity component or theorientation component, with the association being indicative of thedevice being disposed on the display. An operation may be executed basedon the determination that the signal and the touch input are associated.

In some cases, an inquiry signal may be transmitted, and the signalreceived from the device may be transmitted by the device in response tothe inquiry signal. The inquiry signal may be transmitted in response tothe receipt of the touch input. Alternatively, the touch input may bereceived in response to the receipt of the signal from the device.

In still other cases, a relative orientation of the display may bedetermined with respect to a known magnetic field. The orientationcomponent may comprise an indication of a relative orientation of thedevice with respect to the known magnetic field, and an orientation ofthe device with respect to the display may be determined based on acomparison of the relative orientation of the display with the relativeorientation of the device.

In still other embodiments, an apparatus is provided for determining thepresence of a device for executing operations that includes means forreceiving a signal from a device proximate an apparatus and means forreceiving a touch input from a display associated with the apparatus.The signal may include at least one of a proximity component or anorientation component. The apparatus may further include means fordetermining whether there is an association between the signal and thetouch input based on at least one of the proximity component or theorientation component, with the association being indicative of thedevice being disposed on the display. Furthermore, the apparatus mayinclude means for executing an operation based on the determination thatthe signal and the touch input are associated.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

Having thus described the invention in general terms, reference will nowbe made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn toscale, and wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates one example of a communication system according to anexample embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic block diagram of an apparatus fordetermining the presence of a device for interaction via a displayaccording to an example embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates an apparatus configured to determining the presenceof a device for interaction via a display according to an exampleembodiment of the present invention, in which the device is disposed onthe display;

FIG. 4 shows the apparatus of FIG. 3 in the case where the device isspaced from the apparatus;

FIG. 5 shows the device of FIGS. 3 and 4 according to an exampleembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 shows an apparatus according to an example embodiment of thepresent invention, in which a portion of the display is removed;

FIG. 7 illustrates an apparatus configured to determining the presenceof a device for interaction via a display according to an exampleembodiment of the present invention, in which the signal is transmittedby the device in response to an inquiry signal from the apparatus;

FIGS. 8 and 8A illustrate an example of interaction between theapparatus and the device;

FIG. 9 illustrates an apparatus configured to determine the presence ofa device for interaction via dual displays according to an exampleembodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 10 illustrates a flowchart of methods of determining the presenceof a device for interaction in accordance with another exampleembodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Some embodiments of the present invention will now be described morefully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in whichsome, but not all, embodiments of the invention are shown. Indeed,various embodiments of the invention may be embodied in many differentforms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments setforth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that thisdisclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. Like referencenumerals refer to like elements throughout. As used herein, the terms“data,” “content,” “information,” and similar terms may be usedinterchangeably to refer to data capable of being transmitted, receivedand/or stored in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.Thus, use of any such terms should not be taken to limit the spirit andscope of embodiments of the present invention.

Additionally, as used herein, the term ‘circuitry’ refers to (a)hardware-only circuit implementations (e.g., implementations in analogcircuitry and/or digital circuitry); (b) combinations of circuits andcomputer program product(s) comprising software and/or firmwareinstructions stored on one or more computer readable memories that worktogether to cause an apparatus to perform one or more functionsdescribed herein; and (c) circuits, such as, for example, amicroprocessor(s) or a portion of a microprocessor(s), that requiresoftware or firmware for operation even if the software or firmware isnot physically present. This definition of ‘circuitry’ applies to alluses of this term herein, including in any claims. As a further example,as used herein, the term ‘circuitry’ also includes an implementationcomprising one or more processors and/or portion(s) thereof andaccompanying software and/or firmware. As another example, the term‘circuitry’ as used herein also includes, for example, a basebandintegrated circuit or applications processor integrated circuit for amobile phone or a similar integrated circuit in a server, a cellularnetwork device, other network device, and/or other computing device.

As defined herein, a “computer-readable storage medium,” which refers toa physical storage medium (e.g., volatile or non-volatile memorydevice), can be differentiated from a “computer-readable transmissionmedium,” which refers to an electromagnetic signal.

A tangible user interface is a form of user interface in which a userinteracts with digital information using the physical environment. Forexample, a touch display, which may take the form of a table top, forexample, may be configured to allow a user to interact with data relatedto an object (e.g., a “tangible object”) placed on the display surface.In other words, the display may be able to “see” what the tangibleobject is, retrieve data about the tangible object (e.g., through aconnection with a network such as the Internet, through a wirelessconnection with the tangible object itself, from a memory associatedwith the display, or from some other remote storage location), presentthe data via the display, and allow the user to view, modify,manipulate, and otherwise interact with the data.

Often, such displays use “computer vision” to detect and identify atangible object with which to interact. For example, cameras may beprovided on a housing of the display or integral to the display itself,and the cameras may be configured to detect reflections of infrared (IR)light from objects that contact or come in close proximity to thedisplay. Thus, placement fiducial marker or optical tag on any object,from a wine glass to a cellular telephone, allows the display torecognize the object as a tangible object via the reflection of IR lightoff the fiducial marker. The fiducial marker may include differentaspects of information regarding the tangible object, including what theobject is and how to communicate with the object.

Taking the example of a cellular telephone, the cellular telephone maybe configured with a fiducial marker on its housing or projected on thephone's display that includes information identifying the device as acellular telephone and indicating a Bluetooth address or other wirelesscommunication protocol that the apparatus embodying the display may useto communicate with the cellular telephone. Thus, when the cellulartelephone is placed on the display and the fiducial marker is read, thedisplay may present options to a user for interaction with the displayand/or the cellular telephone. For example, the display may allow theuser to access and view via the display pictures stored on the cellularphone. The user may be able to enlarge, rotate, or crop selected photosby providing appropriate touch gestures to the display.

The components that allow “computer vision” to take place often dictatethat the display be a large surface, such as a table. The size of suchdisplays increases the cost of an apparatus and makes portability of theapparatus difficult.

Accordingly, embodiments of the apparatus, method, and computer programproduct described below provide for an apparatus that can detect thepresence of a tangible object without using computer vision, such that asmaller-size display surface may be used (e.g., a tablet or laptopcomputer). Embodiments of the apparatus, method, and computer programproduct described below receive a signal from a device proximate theapparatus, where the signal includes at least one of a proximitycomponent and an orientation component, and also receive a touch inputfrom the associated display. The apparatus is then configured todetermine whether there is an association between the signal and thetouch input based on at least one of the proximity component or theorientation component. If the signal and the touch input are associated,it is an indication that the device is disposed on the display (e.g.,the placement of the device on the display is the cause of the touchinput). Operations may then be executed based on the determination thatthe signal and the touch input are associated. For example, interactionbetween the apparatus and the device may then be allowed based on thedetermination. As a result, any object capable of providing a signalhaving a proximity component or an orientation component can be detected(e.g., without the use of cameras or fiducial markers), and a user'sinteraction with the detected object may be facilitated.

FIG. 1, which provides one example embodiment, illustrates a blockdiagram of a mobile terminal 10 that would benefit from embodiments ofthe present invention. It should be understood, however, that the mobileterminal 10 as illustrated and hereinafter described is merelyillustrative of one type of device that may benefit from embodiments ofthe present invention and, therefore, should not be taken to limit thescope of embodiments of the present invention. As such, althoughnumerous types of mobile terminals, such as portable digital assistants(PDAs), mobile telephones, pagers, mobile televisions, gaming devices,laptop computers, cameras, tablet computers, touch surfaces, wearabledevices, video recorders, audio/video players, radios, electronic books,positioning devices (e.g., global positioning system (GPS) devices), orany combination of the aforementioned, and other types of voice and textcommunications systems, may readily employ embodiments of the presentinvention, other devices including fixed (non-mobile) electronic devicesmay also employ some example embodiments.

The mobile terminal 10 may include an antenna 12 (or multiple antennas)in operable communication with a transmitter 14 and a receiver 16. Themobile terminal 10 may further include an apparatus, such as a processor20 or other processing device (e.g., processor 70 of FIG. 2), whichcontrols the provision of signals to and the receipt of signals from thetransmitter 14 and receiver 16, respectively. The signals may include aproximity component and/or an orientation component, as described below.The signals may further include signaling information in accordance withthe air interface standard of the applicable cellular system, and alsouser speech, received data and/or user generated data. In this regard,the mobile terminal 10 is capable of operating with one or more airinterface standards, communication protocols, modulation types, andaccess types. By way of illustration, the mobile terminal 10 is capableof operating in accordance with any of a number of first, second, thirdand/or fourth-generation communication protocols or the like. Forexample, the mobile terminal 10 may be capable of operating inaccordance with second-generation (2G) wireless communication protocolsIS-136 (time division multiple access (TDMA)), GSM (global system formobile communication), and IS-95 (code division multiple access (CDMA)),or with third-generation (3G) wireless communication protocols, such asUniversal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), CDMA2000, widebandCDMA (WCDMA) and time division-synchronous CDMA (TD-SCDMA), with 3.9Gwireless communication protocol such as evolved UMTS Terrestrial RadioAccess Network (E-UTRAN), with fourth-generation (4G) wirelesscommunication protocols (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE) or LTE-Advanced(LTE-A) or the like. As an alternative (or additionally), the mobileterminal 10 may be capable of operating in accordance with non-cellularcommunication mechanisms. For example, the mobile terminal 10 may becapable of communication in a wireless local area network (WLAN) orother communication networks.

In some embodiments, the processor 20 may include circuitry desirablefor implementing audio and logic functions of the mobile terminal 10.For example, the processor 20 may be comprised of a digital signalprocessor device, a microprocessor device, and various analog to digitalconverters, digital to analog converters, and other support circuits.Control and signal processing functions of the mobile terminal 10 areallocated between these devices according to their respectivecapabilities. The processor 20 thus may also include the functionalityto convolutionally encode and interleave message and data prior tomodulation and transmission. The processor 20 may additionally includean internal voice coder, and may include an internal data modem.Further, the processor 20 may include functionality to operate one ormore software programs, which may be stored in memory. For example, theprocessor 20 may be capable of operating a connectivity program, such asa conventional Web browser. The connectivity program may then allow themobile terminal 10 to transmit and receive Web content, such aslocation-based content and/or other web page content, according to aWireless Application Protocol (WAP), Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)and/or the like, for example.

The mobile terminal 10 may also comprise a user interface including anoutput device such as a conventional earphone or speaker 24, a ringer22, a microphone 26, a display 28, and a user input interface, all ofwhich are coupled to the processor 20. The user input interface, whichallows the mobile terminal 10 to receive data, may include any of anumber of devices allowing the mobile terminal 10 to receive data, suchas a keypad 30, a touch screen display (display 28 providing an exampleof such a touch screen display) or other input device. In embodimentsincluding the keypad 30, the keypad 30 may include the conventionalnumeric (0-9) and related keys (#, *), and other hard and soft keys usedfor operating the mobile terminal 10. Alternatively or additionally, thekeypad 30 may include a conventional QWERTY keypad arrangement. Thekeypad 30 may also include various soft keys with associated functions.In addition, or alternatively, the mobile terminal 10 may include aninterface device such as a joystick or other user input interface. Someembodiments employing a touch screen display, as described furtherbelow, may omit the keypad 30 and any or all of the speaker 24, ringer22, and microphone 26 entirely. The mobile terminal 10 further includesa battery 34, such as a vibrating battery pack, for powering variouscircuits that are required to operate the mobile terminal 10, as well asoptionally providing mechanical vibration as a detectable output.

The mobile terminal 10 may further include a user identity module (UIM)38. The UIM 38 is typically a memory device having a processor built in.The UIM 38 may include, for example, a subscriber identity module (SIM),a universal integrated circuit card (UICC), a universal subscriberidentity module (USIM), a removable user identity module (R-UIM), etc.The UIM 38 typically stores information elements related to a mobilesubscriber. In addition to the UIM 38, the mobile terminal 10 may beequipped with memory. For example, the mobile terminal 10 may includevolatile memory 40, such as volatile Random Access Memory (RAM)including a cache area for the temporary storage of data. The mobileterminal 10 may also include other non-volatile memory 42, which may beembedded and/or may be removable. The memories may store any of a numberof pieces of information, and data, used by the mobile terminal 10 toimplement the functions of the mobile terminal 10.

In some embodiments, the mobile terminal 10 may also include a camera orother media capturing element (not shown) in order to capture images orvideo of objects, people and places proximate to the user of the mobileterminal 10. However, the mobile terminal 10 (or even some other fixedterminal) may also practice example embodiments in connection withimages or video content (among other types of content) that are producedor generated elsewhere, but are available for consumption at the mobileterminal 10 (or fixed terminal).

An example embodiment of the invention will now be described withreference to FIG. 2, in which certain elements of an apparatus 50 fordetermining the presence of a device for executing operations based onan association between signals received from the device and a touchinput to the display are depicted. The apparatus 50 of FIG. 2 may beemployed, for example, in conjunction with the mobile terminal 10 ofFIG. 1. However, it should be noted that the apparatus 50 of FIG. 2 mayalso be employed in connection with a variety of other devices, bothmobile and fixed, and therefore, embodiments of the present inventionshould not be limited to application on devices such as the mobileterminal 10 of FIG. 1. For example, the apparatus 50 may be employed ona personal computer, a tablet, a mobile touch screen display, or otheruser terminal. Moreover, in some cases, the apparatus 50 may be on afixed device such as server or other service platform and the contentmay be presented (e.g., via a server/client relationship) on a remotedevice such as a user terminal (e.g., the mobile terminal 10) based onprocessing that occurs at the fixed device.

It should also be noted that while FIG. 2 illustrates one example of aconfiguration of an apparatus for determining the presence of a devicefor executing operations, numerous other configurations may also be usedto implement embodiments of the present invention. As such, in someembodiments, although devices or elements are shown as being incommunication with each other, hereinafter such devices or elementsshould be considered to be capable of being embodied within a samedevice or element and, thus, devices or elements shown in communicationshould be understood to alternatively be portions of the same device orelement.

Referring now to FIG. 2, the apparatus 50 for determining the presenceof a device for executing operations based on an association between asignal received from the device and a touch input to the display mayinclude or otherwise be in communication with a processor 70, a userinterface transceiver 72, a communication interface 74, and a memorydevice 76. In some embodiments, the processor 70 (and/or co-processorsor any other processing circuitry assisting or otherwise associated withthe processor 70) may be in communication with the memory device 76 viaa bus for passing information among components of the apparatus 50. Thememory device 76 may include, for example, one or more volatile and/ornon-volatile memories. In other words, for example, the memory device 76may be an electronic storage device (e.g., a computer readable storagemedium) comprising gates configured to store data (e.g., bits) that maybe retrievable by a machine (e.g., a computing device like the processor70). The memory device 76 may be configured to store information, data,content, applications, instructions, or the like for enabling theapparatus to carry out various functions in accordance with an exampleembodiment of the present invention. For example, the memory device 76could be configured to buffer input data for processing by the processor70. Additionally or alternatively, the memory device 76 could beconfigured to store instructions for execution by the processor 70.

The apparatus 50 may, in some embodiments, be a mobile terminal (e.g.,mobile terminal 10) or a fixed communication device or computing deviceconfigured to employ an example embodiment of the present invention.However, in some embodiments, the apparatus 50 may be embodied as a chipor chip set. In other words, the apparatus 50 may comprise one or morephysical packages (e.g., chips) including materials, components and/orwires on a structural assembly (e.g., a baseboard). The structuralassembly may provide physical strength, conservation of size, and/orlimitation of electrical interaction for component circuitry includedthereon. The apparatus 50 may therefore, in some cases, be configured toimplement an embodiment of the present invention on a single chip or asa single “system on a chip.” As such, in some cases, a chip or chipsetmay constitute means for performing one or more operations for providingthe functionalities described herein.

The processor 70 may be embodied in a number of different ways. Forexample, the processor 70 may be embodied as one or more of varioushardware processing means such as a coprocessor, a microprocessor, acontroller, a digital signal processor (DSP), a processing element withor without an accompanying DSP, or various other processing circuitryincluding integrated circuits such as, for example, an ASIC (applicationspecific integrated circuit), an FPGA (field programmable gate array), amicrocontroller unit (MCU), a hardware accelerator, a special-purposecomputer chip, or the like. As such, in some embodiments, the processor70 may include one or more processing cores configured to performindependently. A multi-core processor may enable multiprocessing withina single physical package. Additionally or alternatively, the processor70 may include one or more processors configured in tandem via the busto enable independent execution of instructions, pipelining and/ormultithreading.

In an example embodiment, the processor 70 may be configured to executeinstructions stored in the memory device 76 or otherwise accessible tothe processor 70. Alternatively or additionally, the processor 70 may beconfigured to execute hard coded functionality. As such, whetherconfigured by hardware or software methods, or by a combination thereof,the processor 70 may represent an entity (e.g., physically embodied incircuitry) capable of performing operations according to an embodimentof the present invention while configured accordingly. Thus, forexample, when the processor 70 is embodied as an ASIC, FPGA or the like,the processor 70 may be specifically configured hardware for conductingthe operations described herein. Alternatively, as another example, whenthe processor 70 is embodied as an executor of software instructions,the instructions may specifically configure the processor 70 to performthe algorithms and/or operations described herein when the instructionsare executed. However, in some cases, the processor 70 may be aprocessor of a specific device (e.g., a mobile terminal or networkdevice) adapted for employing an embodiment of the present invention byfurther configuration of the processor 70 by instructions for performingthe algorithms and/or operations described herein. The processor 70 mayinclude, among other things, a clock, an arithmetic logic unit (ALU) andlogic gates configured to support operation of the processor 70.

Meanwhile, the communication interface 74 may be any means such as adevice or circuitry embodied in either hardware or a combination ofhardware and software that is configured to receive and/or transmit datafrom/to a network and/or any other device or module in communicationwith the apparatus 50. In this regard, the communication interface 74may include, for example, an antenna (or multiple antennas) andsupporting hardware and/or software for enabling communications with awireless communication network. Additionally or alternatively, thecommunication interface 74 may include the circuitry for interactingwith the antenna(s) to cause transmission of signals via the antenna(s)or to handle receipt of signals received via the antenna(s). Forexample, the communication interface 74 may include one or moreantenna(s) configured to receive signals, such as radio frequency (RF)signals, Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) signals, or other signals via NearField Communication (NFC) protocol, as described in greater detailbelow. In some environments, the communication interface 74 mayalternatively or also support wired communication. As such, for example,the communication interface 74 may include a communication modem and/orother hardware/software for supporting communication via cable, digitalsubscriber line (DSL), universal serial bus (USB) or other mechanisms.

The user interface transceiver 72 may be in communication with theprocessor 70 to receive an indication of a user input and/or to causeprovision of an audible, visual, mechanical or other output to the user.As such, the user interface transceiver 72 may include, for example, akeyboard, a mouse, a joystick, a display, a touch screen(s), touchareas, soft keys, a microphone, a speaker, or other input/outputmechanisms. Alternatively or additionally, the processor 70 may compriseuser interface circuitry configured to control at least some functionsof one or more user interface elements such as, for example, a speaker,ringer, microphone, display, and/or the like. The processor 70 and/oruser interface circuitry comprising the processor 70 may be configuredto control one or more functions of one or more user interface elementsthrough computer program instructions (e.g., software and/or firmware)stored on a memory accessible to the processor 70 (e.g., memory device76, and/or the like).

In an example embodiment, the apparatus 50 may include or otherwise bein communication with a touch screen display 68 (e.g., the display 28).In different example cases, the touch screen display 68 may be a twodimensional (2D) or three dimensional (3D) display. The touch screendisplay 68 may be embodied as any known touch screen display. Thus, forexample, the touch screen display 68 could be configured to enable touchrecognition by any suitable technique, such as resistive, capacitive,infrared, strain gauge, surface wave, optical imaging, dispersive signaltechnology, acoustic pulse recognition, and/or other techniques. Theuser interface transceiver 72 may be in communication with the touchscreen display 68 to receive touch inputs at the touch screen display 68and to analyze and/or modify a response to such indications based oncorresponding user actions that may be inferred or otherwise determinedresponsive to the touch inputs.

In this regard, various indications of touch inputs may be received as aresult of touch events at the touch screen display 68. For example, aforce indication may be received, which is indicative of the amount offorce applied due to contact with the touch screen display 68.Alternatively or additionally, a position indication may be received(e.g., x-, y-coordinates) that describes the location of the contact.

Although the touch input may be the result of contact with or proximityto the touch screen display, the touch input may or may not be relatedto the presence of a device with which the apparatus is to interact. Forexample, a user may apply a touch input by placing a device capable ofinteraction with the apparatus, such as a cellular telephone, on asurface of the display. As another example, however, the user may applya touch input by placing some other object that is not capable ofcommunication with the display on the display surface, such as a book ora cup. By receiving signals from a device within a certain distance fromthe apparatus (and, by extension, within a certain distance from thedisplay) and determining whether the signal received is associated withthe object causing the touch input, the apparatus can determine that theobject applying the input is in fact a tangible object with which theuser can interact via the display.

With continued reference to FIG. 2, in an example embodiment, theapparatus 50 may include a touch screen interface 80. The touch screeninterface 80 may, in some instances, be a portion of the user interfacetransceiver 72. However, in some alternative embodiments, the touchscreen interface 80 may be embodied as the processor 70 or may be aseparate entity controlled by the processor 70. As such, in someembodiments, the processor 70 may be said to cause, direct or controlthe execution or occurrence of the various functions attributed to thetouch screen interface 80 (and any components of the touch screeninterface 80) as described herein. The touch screen interface 80 may beany means such as a device or circuitry operating in accordance withsoftware or otherwise embodied in hardware or a combination of hardwareand software (e.g., processor 70 operating under software control, theprocessor 70 embodied as an ASIC or FPGA specifically configured toperform the operations described herein, or a combination thereof)thereby configuring the device or circuitry to perform the correspondingfunctions of the touch screen interface 80 as described herein. Thus, inexamples in which software is employed, a device or circuitry (e.g., theprocessor 70 in one example) executing the software forms the structureassociated with such means.

The touch screen interface 80 may be configured to receive an input inthe form of a touch event at the touch screen display 68. As such, thetouch screen interface 80 may be in communication with the touch screendisplay 68 to receive user inputs at the touch screen display 68 and tomodify a response to such inputs based on corresponding user actionsthat may be inferred or otherwise determined responsive to the inputs.Following recognition of a touch event, the touch screen interface 80may be configured to determine a classification of the touch event andprovide a corresponding function based on the touch event in somesituations.

In some embodiments, the touch screen interface 80 may include adetector 82, a display manager 84, and a gesture classifier 86. Each ofthe detector 82, the display manager 84, and the gesture classifier 86may be any device or means embodied in either hardware or a combinationof hardware and software configured to perform the correspondingfunctions associated with the detector 82, the display manager 84, andthe gesture classifier 86, respectively, as described herein. In anexemplary embodiment, each of the detector 82, the display manager 84,and the gesture classifier 86 may be controlled by or otherwise embodiedas the processor 70.

The detector 82 may be in communication with the touch screen display 68to receive user inputs in order to recognize and/or determine a touchevent based on each input received at the detector 82. A touch event maybe defined as a detection of an object, such as a stylus, finger, pen,pencil, cellular telephone, digital camera, or any other mobile device(including the mobile terminal 10 shown in FIG. 1) or object, cominginto contact with a portion of the touch screen display in a mannersufficient to register as a touch. In this regard, for example, a touchevent could be a detection of pressure on the screen of the touch screendisplay 68 above a particular pressure threshold over a given area.Subsequent to each touch event, the detector 82 may be furtherconfigured to pass along the data corresponding to the touch event(e.g., location of touch, length of touch, number of objects touching,touch pressure, touch area, speed of movement, direction of movement,length of delay, frequency of touch, etc.) to the gesture classifier 86for gesture classification. As such, the detector 82 may include or bein communication with one or more force sensors configured to measurethe amount of touch pressure (e.g., force over a given area) applied asa result of a touch event, as an example.

The gesture classifier 86 may be configured to recognize and/ordetermine a corresponding classification of a touch event. In otherwords, the gesture classifier 86 may be configured to perform gestureclassification to classify the touch event as any of a number ofpossible gestures. Some examples of recognizable gestures may include atouch, multi-touch, placement, stroke, character, symbol, shape, swipe,pinch event (e.g., a pinch in or pinch out), and/or the like.

A touch may be defined as a touch event that impacts a single area(without or with minimal movement on the surface of the touch screendisplay 68) and then is removed. A multi-touch may be defined asmultiple touch events sensed concurrently (or nearly concurrently). Aplacement event may be defined as a touch even that is not removed or ismaintained for a certain period of time (e.g., the placement of acellular telephone on the display surface). A stroke event may bedefined as a touch event followed immediately by motion of the objectinitiating the touch event while the object remains in contact with thetouch screen display 68. In other words, the stroke event may be definedby motion following a touch event thereby forming a continuous, movingtouch event defining a moving series of instantaneous touch positions(e.g., as a drag operation or as a flick operation). Multiple strokesand/or touches may be used to define a particular shape or sequence ofshapes to define a character. A pinch event may be classified as eithera pinch out or a pinch in (hereinafter referred to simply as a pinch). Apinch may be defined as a multi-touch, where the touch events causingthe multi-touch are spaced apart. After initial occurrence of themulti-touch event involving at least two objects, one or more of theobjects may move substantially toward each other to simulate a pinch.Meanwhile, a pinch out may be defined as a multi-touch, where the touchevents causing the multi-touch are relatively close together, followedby movement of the objects initiating the multi-touch substantially awayfrom each other. In some cases, the objects on a pinch out may be soclose together initially that they may be interpreted as a single touch,rather than a multi-touch, which then is modified by movement of twoobjects away from each other.

The gesture classifier 86 may also be configured to communicatedetection information regarding the recognition, detection, and/orclassification of a touch event to the display manager 84. The displaymanager 84 may be configured to provide control over modifications madeto that which is displayed on the touch screen display 68 based on thedetection information received from the detector 82 and gestureclassifications provided by the gesture classifier 86 in accordance withthe responses prescribed for each respective gesture classification andimplementation characteristic determined by the gesture classifier 86.In other words, the display manager 84 may configure the display (e.g.,with respect to the content displayed and/or the user interface effectspresented relative to the content displayed) according to the gestureclassification and implementation characteristic classificationdetermined for a given touch event that may be detected at the display.

Turning now to FIG. 3, in general, an apparatus 50, such as the mobileterminal 10 of FIG. 1, is provided that has (or is otherwise associatedwith) a touch screen display 68. As described above, the apparatus 50may comprise at least one processor (e.g., processor 70 of FIG. 2) andat least one memory (e.g., memory device 76 of FIG. 2) includingcomputer program code. The at least one memory and the computer programcode may be configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus 50 toat least receive a signal 105 from a device 100 proximate the apparatusand to receive a touch input 110 from the display 68. The signal 105transmitted by the device 100, which is represented by dashed-line arrowin FIG. 3, may include a proximity component and an orientationcomponent, as described below. The touch input 110 is represented by acurved dashed-line arrow in FIG. 3.

The at least one memory and the computer program code may be furtherconfigured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus 50 to determinewhether there is an association between the signal 105 and the touchinput 110 based on at least one of the proximity component or theorientation component. The association is indicative of the device 100being disposed on the display 68, as shown in FIG. 3. An operation maythen be executed based on the determination that the signal 105 and thetouch input 110 are associated.

Said differently, rather than detect the presence of a tangible object(in this case, the device 100) using computer vision to “see” a fiducialmarker located on the device, embodiments of the present invention areconfigured to detect a signal 105 transmitted by the device when thedevice is near the apparatus 50. For example, the apparatus 50 in thedepicted embodiment of FIG. 3 includes or is in communication with anantenna 12 on the display 68 and is configured to receive RF, BluetoothLE, or other NFC signals and relay them to the processor. The signal 105may be received by the apparatus 50 regardless of whether the device 100has actually been placed on the display 68 (e.g., based solely on aproximity to the apparatus). For example, in FIG. 4, the device 100 isspaced from the display 68 (e.g., the device may be a cellular phonecarried in the pocket of someone standing near the apparatus 50). Inthis example, the display 68 may receive a touch input 110 that isunrelated to the device 100, such as a touch input that is the result ofanother object (e.g., a glass of water 101) being placed on the display.Because in FIG. 4 the signal 105 and the touch input 110 are notassociated, the apparatus 50 would not interact with the device 100. Inother words, because the proximity of the device 100 to the display 68in FIG. 4 is incidental, and not the result of placement of the deviceon the display for the purpose of interacting with the device, thepresence of the device may simply be ignored by the apparatus.

To determine whether a received signal 105 and a touch input 110 areassociated (e.g., both caused by the device 100), the apparatus 50 maylook to the content of the signal, such as to analyze informationincluded in a proximity component and/or an orientation component of thesignal. In this regard, the proximity component of the signal 105 mayinclude information describing the proximity of the device 100 toanother object, surface, or signal source. For example, the proximitycomponent may indicate that a capacitance of a display of the device isdisrupted (e.g., due to contact with or proximity to an object).Alternatively or additionally, the proximity component may be derivedfrom the relative strength of the signal 105 (e.g., with a strongersignal indicating a closer proximity of the device to the apparatus). Insome cases, the device 100 may be an NFC- or RFID-equipped device (e.g.,the device may include an NFC or RFID tag), and the apparatus 50 maydetect the device when the device (with the tag) is disposed on thedisplay 68 of the apparatus. Thus, if the touch input 110 indicates thatan object is contacting the display 68 of the apparatus 50, and thesignal 105 includes a proximity component that indicates that the device100 is also contacting an object, then a determination can be made thatit is the device 100 that is in contact with (e.g., disposed on) thedisplay 68.

Similarly, the signal 105 may include, instead of or in addition to theproximity component, an orientation component that provides informationthat can be used to determine the orientation of the device 100 withrespect to the display 68. The orientation of the device 100 (e.g., theangle of a longitudinal axis A of the device with respect to a referenceaxis) may be determined in several ways. For example, the device 100 mayinclude a magnetic sensor 120 (shown in FIG. 5) that senses the relativeorientation of the device with respect to a known magnetic field. Themagnetic field may, for instance, be the Earth's magnetic field, inwhich case the reference axis may extend in the direction of true northN. In other cases, the display 68 may include one or more (e.g., four)magnets 125 (shown in FIG. 6) for producing a magnetic field that servesas the known magnetic field (the reference axis, for example, shown as Xin FIG. 3). Thus, the orientation component may include information thatindicates the orientation of the device 100 with respect to the knownmagnetic field (e.g., a magnetic sensor reading).

In either case, the display 68 may also include or otherwise beassociated with a magnetic sensor 121 (shown in FIG. 6) that candetermine the relative orientation of the display with respect to aknown magnetic field (e.g., the reference axis). Thus, by comparing therelative orientation of the device 100 with respect to the referenceaxis (X or N) with the relative orientation of the device 68 withrespect to the reference axis (X or N), the orientation of the device100 with respect to the display 68 may be determined.

In some embodiments, the orientation of the device 100 with respect tothe display 68 may be determined by the apparatus 50, while in otherembodiments the orientation of the device with respect to the displaymay be determined by the device (e.g., a processor of the device)through the receipt of orientation information from the apparatus. Instill other cases, each of the device 100 and the apparatus 50 may beconfigured to determine its own orientation with respect to the otherobject, and these independent determinations may be exchanged (e.g., viaan exchange of signals) to verify that the determined orientation isaccurate.

The orientation of the device 100 with respect to the display 68 asdetermined via the orientation component may be used as an indication ofwhether the signal 105 is associated with the touch input 110. This maybe done, for example, by detecting a position and an extent (e.g., area)of the touch input 110 on the display, such as through the use of forcesensors 130 disposed beneath the display surface (shown in FIG. 6). Bydetecting the position and area covered by the object contacting thedisplay 68, a presumed orientation of the contacting object may bedetermined. If the presumed orientation is found to match the actualorientation as indicated by the orientation component of the signal 105received from the device 100 (or is within a certain acceptabletolerance), then the apparatus 50 may determine that there is anassociation between the signal 105 and the touch input 110 (e.g., thedevice 100 is actually the object that is contacting the display 68 andcausing the touch input 110).

In some cases, the device 100 may include multiple conductive markersthat are affixed to the device in a pattern and act as fiducials thatrepresent the device's orientation. Thus, when the device 100 is placedon a display 68 that is equipped with a capacitive multi-touch sensor,for example, the sensed pattern of the conductive markers may serve asan indication of the orientation of the device with respect to thedisplay 68 of the apparatus 50. Alternatively, instead of conductivemarkers, an arrangement of textured markers (e.g., “bumps”) may beprovided on the device 100 that apply pressure on certain areas of thedisplay 68 or can be sensed by a display that is equipped with aresistive multi-touch sensor. Again, the sensed pattern of the markersmay serve as an indication of the orientation of the device with respectto the display 68.

In addition to being used to determine whether there is an associationbetween the signal 105 and the touch input 110 in certain embodiments,as described above, the orientation indicated by the orientationcomponent may further be used in the invocation of certain functionalityby the display 68 (e.g., to cause certain options to be displayed to theuser via the display or allow certain operations to be executed, asdescribed in greater detail below).

The signal 105 may be received from the device 100 based solely on thefact that the device 100 has come within a certain distance of theapparatus, or the signal 105 may be received in response to an inquirysignal. In the case of the former, the device 100 may be configured tocontinuously transmit a signal 105 including, for example, a proximitycomponent and/or an orientation component. Thus, once the device 100 iswithin range of the apparatus 50 (or, more specifically, a receiver,such as the antenna 12, of the apparatus), the signal 105 may bereceived. Alternatively, the apparatus 50 may be configured toperiodically or continuously transmit an inquiry signal 140 (shown inFIG. 7) that requests transmission, by any device in the vicinity, of aresponse signal in the form of the signal 105. In this case, the device100 need not be constantly transmitting the signal 105 including theproximity component and/or the orientation component, but rather onlywhen requested.

Thus, in some embodiments, the memory and computer program code areconfigured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to transmit aninquiry signal 140, and the signal 105 received from the device 100 maythus by transmitted by the device in response to the inquiry signal.Furthermore, in some embodiments the inquiry signal 140 may becontinuously transmitted, whereas in other cases the inquiry signal istransmitted only in response to the receipt of the touch input 110. Inother words, in cases where the inquiry signal 140 is not continuouslytransmitted, the transmission of the inquiry signal may be invoked bythe receipt of a touch input 110 at the display 68 (e.g., as a way toconfirm whether the touch input was caused by the device 100 or by someother, unrelated object). In still other cases, the touch input 110 maybe received in response to the receipt of the signal 105 from the device100. For example, once a signal 105 transmitted by the device 100 isreceived by the apparatus 50, force sensors 130 (shown in FIG. 6)disposed beneath a surface of the display 68 may be queried to ascertainwhether a touch input 110 has also been received.

As noted above, the touch input 110 may be any input received at thedisplay 68 of the apparatus 50 that is indicative of an object cominginto contact with (or disposed very close to) the display. For example,in embodiments in which the display 68 includes force sensors 130, asshown in FIG. 6, the touch input may comprises the detection of a forceapplied to the display (e.g., due to the weight of the object and/or theforce applied by the user in setting the object down onto the display).In other cases, the touch input 110 may comprise information receivedfrom a capacitive or resistive touch sensor (not shown) that isassociated with the display 68. Such information may, for example,indicate that a known, predefined capacitance or resistance of thedisplay 68 has been changed, presumably due to an object contacting orotherwise coming very close to the display.

To facilitate interaction between the apparatus 50 and the device 100once it is determined that the signal 105 and the touch input 110 areassociated, additional information regarding the device may be receivedand/or processed by the apparatus. For example, the signal 105transmitted by the device 100 and received by the apparatus 50 mayfurther include an identity component, which describes the identity ofthe device (e.g., whether the device is a cellular telephone or adigital camera), its functional capabilities, the type of data stored onthe device, the device's preferred method of communication and/or dataexchange, the device's wireless address (e.g., Bluetooth address),and/or other information about the device that may facilitateinteraction with the device. Thus, the memory and computer program codemay be configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus 50 toexchange data with the device at least partly based on the identitycomponent. Although the identity component may be part of the originalsignal 105 received from the device (e.g., with the proximity componentand/or the orientation component), in other cases the identity componentmay be provided in a subsequent transmission by the device 100, forexample, in response to a specific inquiry by the apparatus.

Turning now to FIGS. 8 and 8A, an example is provided that demonstratesoperations that may be executed and interactions that may occur betweenthe apparatus 50 and the device 100 once it is determined that there isan association between a signal 105 received from the device and a touchinput received at the display 68. In this example, the device 100 is acellular telephone that has digital pictures stored in a memory of thephone. When the phone 100 is placed on the display 68 (in this example)a signal from the phone is received that includes a proximity componentand an orientation component, and a touch input is received from thedisplay. Based on the proximity component and/or the orientationcomponent, the apparatus 50 determines that, in this case, the signaland the touch input are associated. In other words, the phone 100 isactually disposed on the display 68. As a result, interaction betweenthe apparatus 50 and the phone 100 is allowed.

In the depicted example of FIG. 8, the apparatus causes several pictures150 that are stored on the phone 100 to be displayed on the display 68for the user to view. The apparatus may obtain the content to display byestablishing a wireless connection with the device, e.g., using aBluetooth address of the device as specified in an identity componentprovided by the device. The user may be able to move the pictures 150around the display 68, for example to spread them out or to place themin a certain order for easier viewing, by directly interacting with thedisplay 68 (e.g., using a finger or stylus to provide touch inputs tothe display). Moreover, a list of user options may be displayed on thedisplay 68 that relate to the data being viewed and/or manipulated.Continuing the above example, the user may be presented with an optionswheel 160 with options to “edit,” “zoom,” “rotate,” “send,” or “save”one or more of the displayed images. One or more of the displayedoptions may be selected by the user through direct contact with thedisplay 68 in the form of a touch input applied to the display.

In some cases, the orientation of the device 100 (e.g., determined withreference to the orientation component as described above) may inform orfacilitate the function requested by the user. For example, if the userin FIG. 8 wishes to send a certain picture 150 to a friend's e-mailaddress, the user may simply move the phone 100 towards the selectedpicture until the displayed arc 165 intersects with the picture to besent, as shown in FIG. 8A. Once at least a portion of the picture 150 iswithin the arc 165, the user may touch the “send” option, and a text boxmay appear on the display 68 requesting that the user use a virtualkeyboard to type in the requested recipient's e-mail address and message(or, alternatively, to “write” the information using a series of touchstrokes signifying letters and numbers). Thus, the orientation componentincluded in the signal received from the device (both initially, whenthe device 100 is first placed on the display 68, and subsequently, asthe device is moved toward the desired picture) may be useful to theapparatus in determining which picture the user intends to send to afriend in this example. Various other functions, applications, anddevices may also benefit from embodiments of the invention describedabove, with the simple depicted embodiments being selected only for thepurpose of explanation.

In some cases, the apparatus 50 may execute operations based on thedetermination that the signal 105 received from the device and the touchinput 110 received at the display 68 are associated, without necessarilyinteracting with the device 100. For example, in some applications, suchas in gaming applications, the device 100 may represent the user as aplayer in a game. In other words, placement of the device 100 on thedisplay 68 of the apparatus 50 may be comparable to the placement of agame piece on a game board. Thus, several users may place their deviceson a “game board” presented on the display 68, and, following adetermination that signals received from the devices are associated torespective touch inputs, the apparatus 50 may execute operations relatedto the progress of a computer game displayed on the display involvingthe players represented by the “game pieces” (the devices). In thisexample, the devices may thus be considered tokens representing eachrespective user, and the apparatus may execute operations based on thedeterminations described above, independent of the device itself.

Furthermore, although a single-display apparatus is shown in FIGS. 3-8A,apparatuses of various sizes and configurations may benefit from theembodiments described above. For example, in FIG. 9, a hinged,dual-display touch screen apparatus 51 is shown that may also beconfigured according to the embodiments described above.

FIG. 10 illustrates a flowchart of a system, method, and computerprogram product according to example embodiments of the invention. Itwill be understood that each block of the flowchart, and combinations ofblocks in the flowchart, may be implemented by various means, such ashardware, firmware, processor, circuitry, and/or other devicesassociated with execution of software including one or more computerprogram instructions. For example, one or more of the proceduresdescribed above may be embodied by computer program instructions. Inthis regard, the computer program instructions which embody theprocedures described above may be stored by a memory device of anapparatus employing an embodiment of the present invention and executedby a processor in the apparatus. As will be appreciated, any suchcomputer program instructions may be loaded onto a computer or otherprogrammable apparatus (e.g., hardware) to produce a machine, such thatthe resulting computer or other programmable apparatus implements thefunctions specified in the flowchart block(s). These computer programinstructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory that maydirect a computer or other programmable apparatus to function in aparticular manner, such that the instructions stored in thecomputer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture the executionof which implements the function specified in the flowchart block(s).The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer orother programmable apparatus to cause a series of operations to beperformed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce acomputer-implemented process such that the instructions which execute onthe computer or other programmable apparatus provide operations forimplementing the functions specified in the flowchart block(s).

Accordingly, blocks of the flowchart support combinations of means forperforming the specified functions, combinations of operations forperforming the specified functions, and program instruction means forperforming the specified functions. It will also be understood that oneor more blocks of the flowchart, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based computersystems which perform the specified functions, or combinations ofspecial purpose hardware and computer instructions.

In this regard, one embodiment of a method for determining the presenceof a device for interaction via a display based on an associationbetween a signal received from the device and a touch input to thedisplay, as shown in FIG. 10, includes receiving a signal from a deviceproximate an apparatus at Block 200, wherein the signal includes atleast one of a proximity component or an orientation component. Themethod further includes receiving a touch input from a displayassociated with the apparatus at Block 210 and determining, via aprocessor, whether there is an association between the signal and thetouch input based on at least one of the proximity component or theorientation component at Block 220, where the association is indicativeof the device being disposed on the display. Furthermore, at Block 230,an operation may be executed based on the determination that the signaland the touch input are associated.

In some cases, an inquiry signal is transmitted at Block 240 asdescribed above, wherein the signal received from the device istransmitted by the device in response to the inquiry signal. The inquirysignal may be transmitted in response to the receipt of the touch input.Alternatively, the touch input may be received in response to thereceipt of the signal from the device, as described above.

In still other embodiments, a relative orientation of the display withrespect to a known magnetic field may be determined at Block 250, asprovided above. The orientation component in such cases may comprise anindication of a relative orientation of the device with respect to theknown magnetic field. Thus, in Block 260, an orientation of the devicewith respect to the display may be determined based on a comparison ofthe relative orientation of the display with the relative orientation ofthe device.

In some embodiments, certain ones of the operations above may bemodified or further amplified as described below. Furthermore, in someembodiments, additional optional operations may be included, someexamples of which are shown in dashed lines in FIG. 10. Modifications,additions, or amplifications to the operations above may be performed inany order and in any combination.

In an example embodiment, an apparatus for performing the method of FIG.10 above may comprise a processor (e.g., the processor 70 of FIG. 2)configured to perform some or each of the operations (200-260) describedabove. The processor may, for example, be configured to perform theoperations (200-260) by performing hardware implemented logicalfunctions, executing stored instructions, or executing algorithms forperforming each of the operations. Alternatively, the apparatus maycomprise means for performing each of the operations described above. Inthis regard, according to an example embodiment, examples of means forperforming at least portions of operation 210 may comprise, for example,the user interface transceiver 72, the processor 70, and/or a device orcircuit for executing instructions or executing an algorithm forprocessing information as described above. Examples of means forperforming operation 230 may comprise, for example, the user interfacetransceiver 72, the processor 70, the memory device 76, and/or a deviceor circuit for executing instructions or executing an algorithm forprocessing information as described above. Examples of means forperforming operations 200 and 240 may comprise, for example, thecommunication interface 74, the processor 70, and/or a device or circuitfor executing instructions or executing an algorithm for processinginformation as described above. Moreover, examples of means forperforming at least portions of operations 220, 250, and 260 maycomprise, for example, the processor 70 and/or a device or circuit forexecuting instructions or executing an algorithm for processinginformation as described above.

Many modifications and other embodiments of the inventions set forthherein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which theseinventions pertain having the benefit of the teachings presented in theforegoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is tobe understood that the inventions are not to be limited to the specificembodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments areintended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.Moreover, although the foregoing descriptions and the associateddrawings describe example embodiments in the context of certain examplecombinations of elements and/or functions, it should be appreciated thatdifferent combinations of elements and/or functions may be provided byalternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the appendedclaims. In this regard, for example, different combinations of elementsand/or functions than those explicitly described above are alsocontemplated as may be set forth in some of the appended claims.Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a genericand descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus comprising at least one processorand at least one memory including computer program code, the at leastone memory and the computer program code configured to, with theprocessor, cause the apparatus to at least: receive a signal transmittedby a device proximate the apparatus, wherein the signal includes atleast one of a proximity component or an orientation component; receivea touch input resulting from contact between an object and a displayassociated with the apparatus; determine whether the object causing thetouch input is the device that transmitted the signal by determiningwhether there is an association between the signal and the touch inputbased on at least one of the proximity component or the orientationcomponent, wherein the association is indicative of the device beingdisposed on the display; receive content from the device in response tothe determination that there is an association between the signal andthe touch input; provide for presentation of the content on the displayassociated with the apparatus; provide for presentation of a list ofuser options on the display; and perform an action on the content basedat least in part on movement of the device with respect to the displayassociated with the apparatus and with respect to the content presentedthereon, wherein contact between the device and the display associatedwith the apparatus is maintained during the movement of the device, andwherein the action is performed on the content based at least in part onselection of one of the user options.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein the signal received from the device is a radio frequency signal.3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the memory and computer programcode are configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus totransmit an inquiry signal, and wherein the signal transmitted by thedevice is transmitted in response to the inquiry signal.
 4. Theapparatus of claim 3, wherein the inquiry signal is transmitted inresponse to the receipt of the touch input.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein the touch input is received in response to the receipt of thesignal transmitted by the device.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1, whereinthe touch input comprises detection of a force applied to the display.7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the touch input comprisesinformation received from a capacitive or resistive touch sensorassociated with the display.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein thesignal received from the device includes an identity component, whereinthe memory and computer program code are configured to, with theprocessor, cause the apparatus to exchange data with the device at leastpartly based on the identity component.
 9. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein the memory and computer program code are configured to, with theprocessor, cause the apparatus to determine a relative orientation ofthe display with respect to a known magnetic field.
 10. The apparatus ofclaim 9, wherein the orientation component comprises an indication of arelative orientation of the device with respect to the known magneticfield, and wherein the memory and computer program code are configuredto, with the processor, cause the apparatus to determine an orientationof the device with respect to the display based on a comparison of therelative orientation of the display with the relative orientation of thedevice.
 11. A method comprising: receiving a signal transmitted by adevice proximate an apparatus, wherein the signal includes at least oneof a proximity component or an orientation component; receiving a touchinput resulting from contact between an object and a display associatedwith the apparatus; determining, via a processor, whether the objectcausing the touch input is the device that transmitted the signal bydetermining whether there is an association between the signal and thetouch input based on at least one of the proximity component or theorientation component, wherein the association is indicative of thedevice being disposed on the display; receiving content from the devicein response to the determination that there is an association betweenthe signal and the touch input; providing for presentation of thecontent on the display associated with the apparatus; providing forpresentation of a list of user options on the display; and performing anaction on the content based at least in part on movement of the devicewith respect to the display associated with the apparatus and withrespect to the content presented thereon, wherein contact between thedevice and the display associated with the apparatus is maintainedduring the movement of the device, and wherein the action is performedon the content based at least in part on selection of one of the useroptions.
 12. The method of claim 11 further comprising transmitting aninquiry signal, wherein the signal transmitted by the device istransmitted in response to the inquiry signal.
 13. The method of claim12, wherein the inquiry signal is transmitted in response to the receiptof the touch input.
 14. The method of claim 11, wherein the touch inputis received in response to the receipt of the signal transmitted by thedevice.
 15. The method of claim 11 further comprising determining arelative orientation of the display with respect to a known magneticfield.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the orientation componentcomprises an indication of a relative orientation of the device withrespect to the known magnetic field, and wherein the method furthercomprises determining an orientation of the device with respect to thedisplay based on a comparison of the relative orientation of the displaywith the relative orientation of the device.
 17. A computer programproduct comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable storagemedium having computer-executable program code portions stored therein,the computer-executable program code portions comprising program codeinstructions for: receiving a signal transmitted by a device, whereinthe signal includes at least one of a proximity component or anorientation component; receiving a touch input resulting from contactbetween an object and a display; determining whether the object causingthe touch input is the device that transmitted the signal by determiningwhether there is an association between the signal and the touch inputbased on at least one of the proximity component or the orientationcomponent, wherein the association is indicative of the device beingdisposed on the display; receiving content from the device in responseto the determination that there is an association between the signal andthe touch input; providing for presentation of the content on thedisplay; providing for presentation of a list of user options on thedisplay; and performing an action on the content based at least in parton movement of the device with respect to the display and with respectto the content presented thereon, wherein contact between the device andthe display is maintained during the movement of the device, and whereinthe action is performed on the content based at least in part onselection of one of the user options.
 18. The computer program productof claim 17 further comprising program code instructions fortransmitting an inquiry signal, wherein the signal transmitted by thedevice is transmitted in response to the inquiry signal.
 19. Thecomputer program product of claim 18, wherein the inquiry signal istransmitted in response to the receipt of the touch input.
 20. Thecomputer program product of claim 17, wherein the touch input isreceived in response to the receipt of the signal transmitted by thedevice.
 21. The computer program product of claim 17 further comprisingprogram code instructions for determining a relative orientation of thedisplay with respect to a known magnetic field.
 22. The computer programproduct of claim 21, wherein the orientation component comprises anindication of a relative orientation of the device with respect to theknown magnetic field, and wherein further comprising program codeinstructions for determining an orientation of the device with respectto the display based on a comparison of the relative orientation of thedisplay with the relative orientation of the device.